Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-02-02
OCEANS OF SWEETS.
Where Tons OF Candies are Made for
Dainty PaIates.

Should see him a reporter made his way
into a candyfactory recently. He took
slim legged dude along with him to
swear to an alibi in case of need.
n door opened and shut, and the Wis.
ltOrs found themselves in a room which
at first sight might have been taken for
machine shop. POnderous wheels re-
volyed noiSelessly, and upon every side
great engines stretched and drew back
their long steel arms, engaged upon
some unknown but titanic task. The
The OdOr of chocolate was we'll nigh
OverpOwering. The reporter stepped
forward to an enormous bowl of polished
copper and gaZed into its depths. 4
strange sight greeted his eyes. Within
the interior of this great copper vessel
reyOlved two large mill stones, while a
steel rake like implement, constantly in
motion, directed river of rich brown
chocolate so that it flowed steadily under
the wheels. 1t was extraordinary how
this mighty torrent twisted in and out
a great writhing boa constructor strug-
Cling to escape.
THAT is tho grinder, " remarked the
superintendent. That stuff in there
IS simply the crushed cocoa bean and
sugar. 1t looks semi-liqUid, of course,
but that Is because of the essential oil
of the bean"
Near the grinder stood a machine
something like great coffee mill. The
cocoa beans il their entirety were turn
ed into hopper at the top and issued in
the orm Of liquid into large vat
beneath.
Chocolate making is rather a compli-
Gated process. The beans are first placed
in a separator. which dries and asserts
them. Next they are roasted. Machine
No. cracks them, cleans them, throws
out the shells and the germ, and pre-
serves the kernel. After this the kernels
are ground with sugar; the half made
chocolate is heated in an oven, then
passed through three finishing machines,
and finally comes into the hands OF
pretty young girls, who wIapit in silver
toll and bOX it.
Ii. small loom well lighted and ven
tilated and scrupulously clean-as, in.
deed, was the entire factorr-iive men
were at work. They looked like band
of Brazilian planters who had been lifted
up bodily and set down in the middle OF
Canadian snow storm. They were
clothed from head 10 foot in SpOtless
cotton-cottOn coats, cotton aprons
cotton trousers, cotton blOuseS and cot
ton caps. y white powder drifting
through the apartment had settled OF
their muStacheS and faces, TO say moth
ing Of eleir clothing. This powder wa.
corn starch. Over a huge copper cauI
dron, heated beneath by coil of sinu
OuS steam pipes leaned one of theSt
queer white figures. In his hand ht
held gigantic spoon, and every now
anl then he stirred the contents u IL.
great vessel vigorously.
The reporter peered over the brink
and saw mass OF snow white substance
about the consistency of buttermilk.
Try some:' queried the superintend-
ent, as he thrustS ladle into the vat.
1t was marSlmallOW, but such marsh
mallowl IL took two ladlefulS to quiet
the dude, and even then he looked long
ingly at the copper as the party turned
away.
Through narrow passageway past
a curious machine which huSked
almonds and blanched them at the rate
of 10000 minute, and through a
swinging door in,o fairy-Ia.d. 1T four
long tables sat forty girls, and every one
OF the forty was young and pretty, and
every one OF them wore Il natty little
apron and a bewitching little white
null cap. 1t fairly took the dudes
breath away. Each girl was armed with
a plated spoon with Il long handle, and
in front of each stood 2 tiny gas stove
suTmOunted by Il tiny copper kettle.
THc kettles Shone brightly and So
did the faces of the girls as theygIanced
was about half full of cOlored paste.
One girl had green paste, c)lyred with
piStachiO nuts; the next, paste Of yiO-
let hue; and besides, there We; crushed
paste, seal brown paste, sky
blue paste, yellow paste. and paste OF !
every other imaginable shade. The
walls of this grotto of the sirens were
literally composed Of candy. Tier after |
tier OF shelves were there. heaped as |
high as one could reach with TN slabs |
rows of parti-col0red bon
bOnS.
Another room, more pretty girls, more /
bOnbOuS. Again another room contain |
ing three enormous watts, copper, as
usual. Into each vat prOtruded an air |
pipe like the one seen in the marShmal- /
low room. These cauldrons, however.
were supported on IN incline of forty /
i've degrees, and SO arranged that they /
reyo.ved at great speed. Within each, |
hopping about literally like peas on a |
grIddie, were 125 pounds of sugared /
almonds. Think of it!
Next the cream room. Here stood 4
huge vessels filed with paste of all /
t.avors-rasberry, strawberry, chocolate, !
vanilla, pistachio, goodness knows what |
else. These pastes serve for the various |
sorts of fine confectionery. There were
also buckets of crystal , Il compound /
Of sugar used for glazing. In this room
men were shOveling cream" lie. Su-
gar, water and ilavOring, with wooden /
trONelS a. reckleSsly as if it wasn't good |
to eat and as if young men were not
alive to pay 81 pound for it.
Another large room, and this time fifty. |
girls positively prettier, if that were
possible, than the trSt two galaXleS. |
Each girl was armed with queer little
fork, and before each was
a kettle of chocolate and tin plate full |
Of creams of various colOrS and shapes. |
The girls took the creams up on their |
little forks, soused them in The chocO-
late stew, twisted them about III it,
fshed them out again, and placed them
on long tin slabs to dry. There were
many more interesting sights in the /
candy factory. In the packing depart |
ment more girls, pretty,of course, Wrap
ped the bonbons in paper and the chocC- |
lates in foil, and slowed them away in J
neat boxes. Then there was a store
keepers room, which sme.led like 4 /
,rocer's shop with all the red herriugs
md soap and other ill-smell:ng things
rrlagated to the front sidewalk. Inl
capacious cellars beneath the building
we're stored away in bins L, 900 bottles
IF fruit extracts, and these only repre-
,ented the supply for one year. Then,
90, there were the engine room and the
shop, and the chocolate
storing rooms, and large marble slabs